Comments on: 8 Reasons For Hitting A Plateau And How To SMASH It!

By: Vincent

Vincent — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:41:35 +0000

hey mark,

just a quick question: you say that increasing by 2.5kg for curls or 5 kg for bench press is a bad thing, but what if those are the smallest increments availible?

i work out at our apartment block’s gym, and i use fixed dumbells, but when above 10kg the dumbells only go up by 2.5kg, there arent any in between weights, so what should i do?

By: Damo

Damo — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:58:41 +0000

Dear Mark,

I find it strange that you would call supersetting a “Gimmick” I respect your views but shocking is always the best way to growth. One must always remember R&R for recovery and a good mindset

Cheers

Damo

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:42:01 +0000

Hi Mark,

Well timed post for me this – I’ve had an injury (sore wrists) and feel that my body fat loss has stalled. I have not lost motivation however as I am confident in the methods here!

For my injury I took some time away from weights (very hard to do) and have started back dropping each weight by a small amount. This has actually worked out well as I am more conscious of my Biomechanically Optimsed form – I also don’t want to risk injury again.

Just need to give my fat loss a boost now!

Cheers,

Chris

By: Darrin_lean_muscle

Darrin_lean_muscle — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:21:17 +0000

What are your thoughts on using negatives for a week to change the routine and get past the plateau?

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:37:46 +0000

Hi Mark I have been following your training plan now for around 20 weeks and initially had some great results after busting my balls for months previous and over training ad not getting anywhere fast. Since starting THT I have put 1 inch on biceps, 2 inches off the waist line, what more could you ask for in proof this works. I do have a question though and that is…. I have been using PR of course and each week added a small amount of new weight (only when I hit the 12 rep mark though with good form) now I am still adding eight when required and hitting failure around 8-10 reps but I am not feeling the burn anymore in my muscles like I used too. When I have finished my sets even though I cant literally lift anymore without bursting a blood vessel of giving my self a nose bleed or at least feeling like I will, I just dont get the burn or trembles as before. About 5 – 10 minutes later I feel ready to hit the whole lot again. I dont as I know I will end up over training (possibly) but the temptation to repeat it all there. Is it normal to loose the burn the sensation when you get to a certain point.

By: Nick Andrade

Nick Andrade — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:48:43 +0000

While plateaus can be difficult to overcome, it’s often times a very small change in your routine or diet that can help you blast through the hard times. I’ve also found that I hit plateaus more often when my mind is not completely focused in on a specific target and when I’m not paying enough attention to my diet.

By: Flest

Flest — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:35:41 +0000

Great article Mark! I find your rule about incrementing weights very slowly the best advice I have ever heard for avoiding plateaus and haven’t had a plateau since.

Also as you mentioned before that a good way to overcome a plateau is before the one week break, do sets with high weights and low reps that way after you come back from the break it will allow you to plow through that plateau.